White or Green Xmas?

IDec 21, 2015

It is snowing at the moment, appropriate on the first day of winter, but rare this fall. 

We have had above freezing weather and rain virtually all fall rather than the usual cooler weather accompanied by snow. 

It seems very strange to all of us, the prospect of a green Christmas, but historically is it not as uncommon as I thought.

Update: 

Dec 24, 2015: 18 degrees Celcius - t-shirt weather on Christmas Eve.

The lake is wide open, no snow left.

January 2016

We started this on New Year's Day. Even if we had a rather run-of-the-mill day, we can find something good each day. I think it will be really fun to read through our notes on New Year's Eve.

CP Holiday Train 2015

Darcy and I went to Beaconsfield to see the holiday train tonight. There was no snow, but the bright flashing lights and Christmas carols really helped put us in the Christmas mood!

We even got to see Santa!!

Here is a link to a video:

http://youtu.be/ej4lNGhhgQY

Look-a-likes

November 2015

Ghost cookies (meringues)

Ghost meringue cookies 

3 large egg whites

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

¾ C sugar

48 mini chocolate chips 

 

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 225° F.

With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium until foamy. Increase speed to high and gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the sugar, then continue to beat until stiff peaks form, 5 to 8 minutes.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; place a small dab of meringue under each corner of the paper to anchor the paper to the tray.

Transfer the meringue to a piping bag or resealable plastic freezer bag (snip a ½-inch hole in the bag). Using a circular motion, pipe 2-inch high mounds of the meringue onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart. Add the chocolate chips to make the eyes. Bake until firm and dry, 1½ hours to 2 hours. Cool completely on the baking sheets.

Notes: The batter could be dyed green to make Christmas Trees. This is very messy, but worth it…they are delicious. 

Source: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/meringue-cookies

Chocolate banana bread

Pain Aux Bananes et au Chocolat

 

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 C very ripe (black) bananas, mashed (about 4)

1/3 C vegetable oil

¼ C milk

2 C all purpose flour

1 C sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

8 squares semi-sweet Baker’s chocolate, chopped

½ C chopped nuts (optional)

¼ C brown sugar

½ tsp. cinnamon (optional)

 

 Preheat oven to 350 F

 Mix eggs, bananas, oil and milk

 Add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix until moistened. Add chocolate and nuts.

 Pour into a greased 9”x5” loaf pan

 Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over batter. 

 Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a rack. 

Notes: - I have never used nuts or cinnamon and it is always wonderful.

- I had best results with a glass dish than a metal one, and cooked about 75 minutes. 

Source: Julie at Charles River Labs.

Mom's new garden and path

2015 BEFORE: looking up from the house towards the garage and the road. You can still a pile of shingles, some building materials tarped beside the garage, and piles of leaves. The siding was not on sides and back of the garage yet. I had begun laying out the edges of the path with stones.

2015: here is a "before" picture. I say that in quotations as this is an intermediate before. This picture is looking down towards the house from the road. That is the corner of the garage on the right hand side. The siding has been added to the sides and back of the garage now. The building materials and leaves have been removed.

Aug 24, 2016: My mom's birthday gift this year was this arbour for the garden path. I made it myself! My very first solo carpentry project! There are roses planted on either side, but they are still quite small.

Here was my work station in the driveway. Now we are looking up towards the road from the driveway near the house.

My helper on stand-by, petting Lovey. You can see the Franklin, which we cleaned and painted last year. 

Franklin at night.

The arbour from the other side. 

The path at dusk with lights on. 

A Blue Jay on the bird bath just outside Mom's dining toom window. 

Mom's brown-eyed susans. Darcy is pointing out a double-headed one! 

A different perspective

Pretty! 

Nov 3, 2015: hot!

Remembrance Day

A few funnies

Day PIt doesn't matter how big they are, they all act like kittens some times.

http://www.hlntv.com/shows/the-daily-share/articles/2015/11/04/watch-these-big-cats-react-to-cardboard-for-the-first-time

This is totally Kevin and Me...and Darcy!

I remember riding around in the back of my dad's or Uncle Wayne's pick-up! I also remember cramming about 7 people onto the bench seat, the only person not doubled up was the driver. Biggest on the seat, smallest on the laps! 

Not so funny this one, but a little warm humour in light of all the violence in the world at the moment. 

Junk food cookies

Halloween has come and gone and we have tons of candy left over so I decided to make junk food cookies.

Steven and Chris: Junk food cookies

http://www.cbc.ca/stevenandchris/food/junk-food-cookie

1. Prepare sugar cookie dough according to package directions.
2. Mix in whatever combination of sweet and salty treats you like at a ratio of 2 to 1, cookie dough to junk, as if you were adding chocolate chips.
3. Scoop onto baking sheet and press a piece of chocolate bar into top of each.
4. Bake according to package directions (approximately 15 minutes at 350 F).

I made sugar cookies from scratch instead of using a mix. 

I used plain chips (1 fun size, crushed), reese pieces (2 fun size), snickers (3 fun size, chopped), peanut M&M (2 fun size packs), and 3 caramel squares, chopped. I saved some to press into the top of some of the cookies. 

Sugar cookies

I used the basic sugar cookie recipe from Canadian Living

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/basic_sugar_cookie_dough.php

In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; stir into butter mixture, in 2 additions, just until combined.

(Add junk food here, scoop onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet)

Bake 1 sheet at a time in 375 F oven until edges ans bottoms are light golden, 12-14 minutes. Let cool on wire racks for 1 minute. transfer to racks; let cool completely. 

French onion soup

I didn't have on hand everything I needed to make my mom's french onion soup recipe, so I went online and got a feeling for the basic proportions and must-haves in the soup. I stumbled upon thisrecipe  which also had excellent intructrions:

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-french-onion-soup-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-110054

So I made a combination of both recipe with excellent results. It was so satisfying to taste the soup and have it be EXACTLY what I was hoping for. 

2-2.5 pounds of onions (you can mix varieties for more flavour)

8 Cups water

1 package of onion soup mix

3 cubes beef bouillon (as per package 1 cube per 2 cups of water, adjust as nec for the brand you use)

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup of red wine (optional)

1 tsp salt + to taste

1/2 tsp sugar

Pepper to taste

3 tablespoons flour

1.5 cups shredded cheese

6-8 slices of toast/baguette/ hamburger buns

Cut onions in half and peel

Slice each half into thin half moons

Melt butter in pan over medium heat

Add olive oil

Add onions and stir to coat

Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes

Meanwhile heat water, beef bouillon, onion soup mix in a separate pot. 

Remove lid, add salt, sugar and pepper.

Turn heat to medium, stir onions every few minutes until they start to turn brown. If they are burning, reduce heat. You want carmelized onions, not burnt.

Sprinkle flour over onions, stir and cook for 1 minute.

Add wine to broth, if using it.

Add onions to broth and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile place one bun on each oven-proof bowl (fills ~6 bowls) and cover with cheese. Pour soup over this and cover with more cheese.

Bake in 350 F oven for 30 minutes, broil to brown the cheese.

Facebook roundup

Good advice for everyone.

If you're going through hell, keep going!

OMG, this was totally Darcy!

October 15: recycling mess

Came home at lunch to find much of the contents of my recycling bin all over the street.

As I reached into the puddle to pick up a wad of paper, I got more than I bargained for.

Maple squares

Maple syrup squares

This recipe comes from my friend Melissa and I believe it adapted from a Pampered Chef recipe.

2/3 C brown sugar

1 C maple syrup

Combine the above ingredients in a microwave safe dish and microwave for 5 minutes.

Make sure you dish is tall enough that it doesn't spill over. Let cool on the counter.

Preheat the oven to 400 F

1/2 C butter

1/4 C brown sugar

1 Cup flour

In a bowl mix together butter, brown sugar and flour so that you get a granular mixture. Press mixture into a square pan to make the crust. Bake the crust for 20 minutes at 400 F.

Reduce temperature to 350 F

2 eggs

1/4 C butter

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Beat eggs and add to cooled syrup mixture. Beat/mix in the butter, vanilla, and flour. Pour this mixture over the crust.

Bake 40 minutes at 350F

Ang E. Wilby

Happy return to standard time!

November 1, 2015

Dragonfly friend

October 2015: Facebook roundup

Sometimes when I see something truly breathtaking I would rather see with my own eyes than throught the lens of a camera...kinda goes with the above thought.

For all my friends and family that are teachers, past and present. I truly believe this.

Lately around here it's just the insanity and farts...*sigh*

Kevin' Uncle Pat passed away last week, his late father's oldest brother. He was 85. We wanted to attend the funeral service, but it was in Nouvelle, a 9-10 hour drive away, so we didn't go. When we went to Gaspe in 2014, we stayed in a trailer on the beach on Uncle Pat's property. 

This is me sometimes...like the night before Darcy's birthday party.

'Xactly...they still want their lunches packed, homemade meals, and clean clothes!